Redemption
by Kouden
Summary: When you have taken everything from someone how can you redeem yourself?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer/Author Note**: I don't own any characters or storylines of 'Naruto', this disclaimer is valid for the whole story.

The story was created during the manga chapters 488-498.

**Redemption**

**Chapter 1**

He stood on top of the Hokage monument with clenched fists and watched the people far down in the streets. He watched the stars appear and the sun rise - once again.

And again and again… a year had passed - once again.

So he took a step of the cliff – through space and time – and stepped onto the lush grass of her garden – once again.

As lavender eyes locked with his red orbs he opened his hands to offer her immortality – once again.


	2. Chapter 2

One year had passed since the day her sun was robbed, not from the sky but quite literally from under her fingers. The last year was only a nightmarish memory – moments overly clear, like frozen in time and weeks only blurs of red and steel.

When he appeared in the gardens of the Hyuuga-mansion she wasn't surprised, it was merely a sign for everything to start once again – for the war to begin anew. Hinata had waited six months for this day, she was as ready as she could ever be, ready to fight until the last breath as her friends did.

But when she looked at Sasuke Uchiha she knew something was wrong, everything seemed to be so different about him...but before she could figure it out he vanished, as if he never were there to begin with.

Once again a year passed filled with days of frenzied rebuilding and training, training for a war you couldn't win, and filled with dreams. Dreams full of dead friends, walking corpses and burning skies.

When they met again she knew, why he was feeling like the burning skies and screaming people – his chakra was not human anymore.


	3. Chapter 3

Hinata stood staring at the place he had been even minutes after he had dissolved into nothing, staring at the trees and plants of her garden, but seeing only the thing he had become. She remembered the feeling of hopelessness when they knew that the war was lost, that Naruto was lost und so many had died for naught. The release of the Yuubi was felt even hundredths of miles away and his shadow was dancing in the blood red sky – the three darkest days in her live.

After that the waiting and hoping had begun, hoping that Akatsuki and the Yuubi had destroyed each other and waiting for the onslaught if one of them won.

But now she had the answer – Akatsuki had won, Uchiha Sasuke had won and was now wielding the terrible chakra of the ten tailed beast.

Hinata stood in her garden once again, waiting for the Uchiha to appear - why exactly she didn't know, but she knew that she needed more information, needed to know what had happened and what would happen. For one year she had known what power Sasuke possessed but she did not tell anyone – there was no need to. She had seen both of the Uchihas fight, had seen the power of their eyes and the feelings that were burning behind these red orbs. Once she could have slowed Sasuke down - but not anymore, no one could.

So Hinata did the only thing she could, she admitted defeat and looked into the red abyss of his eyes.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

The moment their eyes met Hinata was lost, lost in a swirling sea of red and black. She was still standing rooted in place as the sun rose and the garden around her started to stir to life.

But where others might be lost forever, trapped in the depths of the Sharingan she was able to find her way back and even take something with her. She had enough time to think about it until their next meeting. Think about the feelings behind his strange eyes, eyes she should know but yet could not remember.

When she had looked into Sasukes eyes the first time she saw pain, hatred and righteousness, he fought for the last memories of his family, his loved ones and for his brother. She didn't think he would ever back down or flee a battle but when Naruto made true to his words and tried to end both of their lives he just faded away into nothingness.

But these eyes held nothing of the hatred or righteousness there was pain as great as hers but there were also regret and fear. His fear seemed to grip her and wouldn't let go of her – who could still harm him?

There was only one name that she could think of - the other Uchiha, the man she hated more then every other living being – she could still hear his laughter in her dreams. The moment Sasuke vanished and Naruto collapsed of exhaustion he swept in, laughing beneath is mask and his eye shining with glee as he sucked the blonde into a dimension where they could never ever reach him.

This was her first and foremost memory of the Uchiha eldest, there were other encounters in the war when he would just appear with the other Akkatsuki members and they would slaughter everyone in sight before disappearing from this dimension again. How she had tried to kill him, them and how she had fought and all for nothing.

Dead friends, scars and nightmares were all she ever took back to Konoha when they battled against Madara, nightmares of blood death and spinning eyes...

...and then she knew that Madara would never fight again and why Sasukes eyes seemed to be strange – he had taken Madaras Sharingan and achieved the next level of the Mangekyou.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

A year had passed and she still didn't know why Sasuke Uchiha was afraid. He succeeded where Orochimaru, Madara and countless others had failed, he was more god then human - so why was he afraid?

The sun was just setting when they met again, and for the first time she noticed his hands. Time seemed to stop for Hinata as her mind reeled as it tried to make sense of what she saw.

What do you tell a god if the only thing he fears is you? What do you tell an immortal if he offers you his most precious possession? What do you tell a comrade if he asks you for forgiveness?

"Would you like a cup of tea?"- An eternity seemed to pass without a reaction from the last Uchiha. Then he nodded and made a step towards her as his hands closed once again around his brother's eyes.

**END**


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